Madrid 2016 Olympic bid

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2016 Summer Olympics bids
Overview
2016 Summer Olympics
Details
City	Madrid, Spain
NOC	Spanish Olympic Committee (COE)
Previous games hosted
Madrid bid for the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Spain hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Madrid, the capital city of Spain, is officially bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Madrid is one of the few major European capitals that has not yet hosted the games, and it is following in the footsteps of Barcelona, which brought the Games to Spain for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Madrid bid before in 1972 and for the 2012 Olympic Games. The city's strong bid ultimately lost in 2012 to London. Currently, its competitors are Chicago (United States), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Tokyo (Japan).

Madrid was one of the four candidate cities on the short list announced on June 4, 2008. The winning bid announced in October 2009.

1 Bid details
2 Outlook
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Bid details

On October 4, 2007 the IOC accepted the Madrid Olympic bid ^[1]. The Spanish Field Hockey Federation vice-chairwoman Mercedes Coghen was chosen as chairwoman of the project. Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch offered his help in this new attempt. With 85% of venues in place, Madrid has hosted many previous Olympic qualifying events,^[2] such as the 2002 IAAF World Cup for Athletics.^[3]

Madrid has a strong sports culture, hosting three football (soccer) teams and two basketball teams; the most successful being Real Madrid C.F. which plays in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Madrid hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup final. The cycling classic Vuelta a España final stages are held in Madrid as Paris serves for the Tour de France.

Madrid at night

[edit] Venues

The competition venues for the Games would be in two main clusters.

The Eastern zone would be the location of the Olympic Stadium, Aquatic Centre, and the Olympic Village, as well as the Telefónica Arena (called before Madrid Arena and earlier Rockódromo de Casa de Campo, will hold basketball events) and the IFEMA Fairgrounds (eight sports plus the Press Center).

The River Zone aside the Manzanares River would host the venues for rowing, beach volleyball, archery, cycling, tennis, modern pentathlon, triathlon, equestrian and rhythmic gymnastics. After the games, the river bank will become a public park celebrating sport, culture and music.^[4]

Vicente Calderon Stadium, likely to be used in the bid

The city is currently completing new swimming and tennis venues (Caja Mágica - The Magic Box) and looking to expand and modernize existing sporting facilities.^[5] Bernabeu, Vicente Calderón Stadium and Estadio de la Peineta are likely venues should Madrid win the games. A new center for sport with the aim of improving facilities for disabled athletes will also be created as part of the push for the Paralympic Games.^[6]

[edit] Culture and accommodations

Madrid is also known for its culture and nightlife.^[3] The cosmopolitan city presents a broad array of architecture, art, museums, and music important to the greater goals of the Olympic movement.^[6] Road, rail, and air links are strong, although per the 2012 bid, more accommodations would have to be built.^[3]

The Manzanares River, site of one of the venue clusters

[edit] Public support

In a recent poll, Madrid enjoyed high support from its citizens. 85% support the games, and 60% believe Madrid has a good chance of winning the games. Improvements in the city’s infrastructure and the excitement of hosting the Games were the main reasons why the respondents said they support the bid.^[7]

[edit] Logo

A contest was run to submit a logo for the games. A number were chosen from which the public could vote, finalizing the final three. The official logo was revealed in late September 2007, which was elected by a group of experts. The logo is named "Corle" and represents a hand in the colors of the Olympics, welcoming foreigners to the games. It was designed by Argentinian Joaquin Malle. The initial design was merely an outline of the hand; the final version bursts with color rings within the hand.

[edit] Previous bid

Details of the previous bid are outlined at Madrid 2012 Olympic bid. Changes have been made to the 2012 bid, but the city expects to build on its high reputation from the previous games. The 2012 bid was overall second in technical evaluation, with a rating of 8.3. Madrid was ranked first in seven categories: "Government support, legal issues and public opinion", "General infrastructure", "Environment", "Sports venues", "Olympic Village", Transport concept" and "Overall project and legacy".

[edit] Outlook

In the 2012 bid, experts considered Madrid's bid very strong, and it actually placed first in the third round (before being eliminated in the fourth round). Madrid is also showing strong signs of support from politicians and residents. However, the biggest problem with the 2016 bid is the consecutive bid after 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This would stage three Olympic games in Europe in a row, an unlikely occurrence.^[5]